noun
suitor
SOO-ter/ˈsuːtər/
Someone seeking another's acceptance in courtship.
Her newest suitor sends her flowers and asks her to dinner.
Etymology
A secutor was a follower or pursuer. The marriage sense specializes that idea: suitors pursue relationships with people they hope to marry.
In context
that Dounia has a suitor and that she has already consented to marry him.
More examples
- She makes it clear to her suitors that she values honesty.
- He hopes she will see him as a suitor, not just a friend.
- Her parents disapprove of the suitor she hopes to marry.
Forms
suitor · suitors
Similar words
- admirer
- May feel romantic interest without actively seeking a relationship.
- pursuer
- Emphasizes actively seeking someone, not necessarily for romance.